A Blonde, a Brunette and a Dojo
by HeyBats
Summary: Diana and Dinah discuss the problems of dating billionaires who like to dress in tights
1. Default Chapter

A Blonde, a Brunette and a Dojo

Diana had just secured the belt over her Gi (the Japanese name for the light cotton pajamas worn for sparring and training) in the Watchtower dojo when she heard the door woosh open behind her. Inwardly she cursed at the sound, realizing the interloper might represent an alteration in her original plan to perfect the "Rider Tiger" Tai Chi movement she'd recently learned from Bruce. Like everything else about him, Diana found the forms fascinating, a perfect combination of balance in power translated into martial form. While the forms were a perfect complement to her considerable knowledge of the fighting arts, as a perfectionist she demanded that she quickly master the movement, lest Bruce get bored teaching her new forms.

Taking care to meticulously fasten the belt securely as Bruce had instructed, Diana finally shifted her glance to determine the identity of the intruder. 

Dinah Lance, the Black Canary, waited just inside the door. She took two steps forward then unsure of herself, paused again. The silence hung awkwardly between them for a moment as Dinah's ears rang from the sharp sound of her heels echoing off the prometheum walls. As the echoes died away, only the light thrumming of the air conditioning system piped through the tower disturbed the air. 

Diana nodded in acknowledgment of the other woman's presence, but didn't speak. Dinah pursed her lips, surmising it might be more politically correct to defer work-out time to the more senior member of the League. She was about to spin on her stilleto heels and walk out then abruptly reconsidered, rationalizing an opportunity to make an introduction didn't present itself every day. She stole another glance at the taller woman then finally broke the silence. "Sorry… am I interrupting?"

Diana realized that her concentration might be manifesting itself as an expression of resentment. She inwardly chided herself, noting that avoidance was increasingly a common reaction on the part of newer members to her presence. Only Batman seemed to inspire a more visceral response from new League members as they scurried to avoid crossing his path whenever possible. While he seemed to take secret delight in intimidating other members of the League, Diana wasn't so nearly aloof as other members believed. Since the League expanded more than a year before to include almost all the crimefighting metahumans on the planet, Diana had secretly hoped that more female members might present an opportunity to engage in female bonding activities similar to the sisterhood she'd enjoyed with the Amazons.

To date, she'd been somewhat disappointed other female members viewed her to be unapproachable. She knew full well that in whispered circles around Watchtower coffee tables, she had a reputation of being a somewhat intense personality, quick to criticize, reluctant to praise and never without an opinion. Given her aristocratic background, Diana was well aware she'd inherited the regal burden of her mother's strong will and stern countenance. Lately however, she'd been undergoing some introspection, asking herself if some of her "edge" was a result of the grudge she still held against Shayera. While she'd never spoken about it to Bruce or Clark, she knew her emotions were fueled as much by the loss of her only female friend in Man's World as it was by the betrayal itself.

Whatever the case, all of the new female members and most of the men seemed to shrink away from Diana in social settings. Part of it couldn't be helped. When the original members decided to build and new Watchtower and expand the League, the newer members (with the notable exception of Ray Palmer, The Atom) had since treated them as if they were royalty. Early during the expansion, Diana recognized the symptoms of the "royal treatment" as conversations would usually be halted in mid-sentence if one of them entered the commissary or other public spaces. Junior members would deferentially give up prime spots on the observation deck to senior members. As a Princess on Themyscira, to Diana, her higher status seemed natural enough, somewhat reinforced by the fact that J'onn made it a habit to send along one of the original members to accompany one or two new members on missions until they'd earned his trust. The other original members initially found their celebrity status amusing, anticipating that in time, people would learn to relax.

Oddly enough, since that time, things hadn't really changed. Given his natural affability, only Flash had been able to really connect with the new members. Accordingly, her best friends in the League were still the original League members, including Bruce, J'onn, Clark, John and Wally. She was still grateful for their friendship, but an inner part of her still longed for the friendships she sustained with her "sisters", especially since Shayera's betrayal.

Diana forced her expression to lighten, then smiled at the petite blonde across the room. "You aren't interrupting anything. I was just about to work my way through some of the Tai Chi forms Batman taught me last month."

Black Canary's face registered her surprise at Diana's admission. "Batman taught you the forms?"

"Yes." Diana responded simply, puzzled by the woman's amusement. "Is that a surprise?"

"Diana, I don't mean to brag, but I've learned from some of the best martial artists in the world. As a matter of fact, early on in our careers, Batman and I both learned our hand to hand fighting from Wildcat, and he was the former heavyweight champion of the world."

"Your point?"

"My point is, only one of us who went through all that training with WildCat THEN decided to perfect himself in the other martial arts, akido in Japan, Wu-shu/Kung-Fu in China, Capoeira in Brazil, to name but a few."

"Batman?" Diana asked dryly.

"But after some of us witnessed him in action in Gotham, we ask him to train us. He refused, especially when he realized that we were all metas."

"I still don't understand all the fuss." Diana said sharply. "It's just a Tai Chi form."

"A Tai Chi form which is the basis for almost every martial art to be developed in Asia. You're the first Meta Batman has decided to train to fight like him." Dinah answered succinctly. "Apparently he trusts you enough to let you in on all of his secrets."

"I hadn't thought about it that way." Diana replied lamely. Trying to maintain her best poker face, Diana quietly elected to start working through the forms of the "Ride Tiger" Tai Chi movement. Dinah watched her start the form, suppressing a smile. She'd heard whispered rumours of something going on between the Dark Knight and the Amazon Princess, but knowing Batman's paranoia of metahumans as well as she did, Canary had always held reservations as to whether the rumours were true. Her conversation with Diana just changed her mind. Intrigued, she decided to continue her further her conversation with the taller woman. Her curiosity demanded she figure out how Diana had managed to gain the trust of the most paranoid individual on the planet.

Diana worked through the 15th movement in the Ride Tiger form. Despite her concentration on the task at hand, even Diana was surprised when she spied Black Canary shrug out of her corset and stockings, momentarily standing naked until wrapping herself in a slightly smaller Gi than the one she was wearing. 

Diana finished the form, face slightly flushed with the exertion, then decided to approach the Black Canary. She'd heard her own whispers in the commissary that Dinah and Green Arrow had recently returned from a secret mission, but details were sketchy. While the blonde had originally kept their mission secret, it was impossible to disguise the aftermath. Oliver (she had a had time referring to anyone as 'Ollie') Queen had returned with broken ribs, a separated shoulder and a torn-up knee administered by Wildcat and was now on "inactive" duty until his body could heal up. 

Diana stopped a few feet away from the smaller woman. She remembered that during the vetting of new League members, Bruce had immediately attested to Dinah's ability to generate a substantial amount of power despite her small frame. Lethally combining blazing speed, delicate balance, C-level meta strength and pinpoint accuracy in her strikes, Diana knew the woman could present an interesting training opportunity.

"Just stretching or are you up for some sparring?" Diana asked, hands at her hips.

Black Canary didn't respond, instead laying on her back to complete a series of stretches which ended with her feet behind her head. 

Diana waited a few more moments. Finally impatient that Dinah hadn't responded, the Amazon turned to walk away.

"Wait," Dinah called between gritted teeth. "Sorry…I'm almost done here. I need to get fully warmed up to make it worth your time." 

Diana waited a few more seconds then Black Canary popped onto her feet with agility that Diana thought was almost unrivaled, even by her Amazon sisters.

"How's your friend?" Diana asked, innocently staring at some of the art-work on the walls. 

Dinah smiled to herself, instantly realizing that the bigger woman had her own ulterior motive for requesting the sparring match. "Ollie? He's fine. How's Bruce?"

Diana instantly stopped in her tracks, surprised by the woman's insider knowledge. "You know… ?"

"I've teamed up him on a number of cases over the years in Gotham," Black Canary replied. "It didn't take me long to figure out that all of those wonderful toys in his belt carry a high price. Only a billionaire like Bruce Wayne could afford to pay for all of those wrecked jets."

"Touche." Diana replied, impressed by the woman's knowledge. "But then again I don't think he's the only billionaire in the League who fights crime."

"Touche yourself." Canary replied, then assumed a fighting stance. "You ready?"

"Ready." Diana replied, automatically assuming a classic attacker's stance. She was about to launch a leg sweep then frowned. She relaxed her stance for a moment. "Sorry. I forgot to ask. Powers or no powers?" 

Dinah's face knotted in consternation. "That is tricky. I've been working out with Ollie so much lately I'd forgotten that I can take it up a notch."

Diana nodded. "I haven't told Bruce but now that he's taught me akido, I have to pull my punches sometimes or I might take a chance on breaking some of his ribs."

A muffled laugh escaped Dinah's mouth. "Broken ribs? You should have seen Ollie hanging out in the commissary earlier today. He's trying to act like those six broken ribs Wildcat gave him don't hurt, but I know for a fact that he keeps digging his nails into the bottom of the tables to keep from screaming."

"How long will it take him to heal up?" 

"J'onn said about two months." Dinah replied. "Why?" 

"Bruce did the same thing a few months back. Remember Mongul?"

Dinah nodded, having heard that the large alien had almost succeeded in taking down the three most experienced and powerful members of the League in Superman's Fortress of Solitude. 

Diana continued. "I went after him in the Fortress. He landed a punch that blasted me across the room. While I was getting up, Bruce jumped on his back, trying to get Mongul into a choke-hold. Needless to say, given Mongul's strength, it didn't work too well. Bruce went flying. Anyway, two days later Superman told me that he'd secretly x-rayed Bruce to see if there was any damage, knowing full well that he'd never tell us."

"Bad?" Dinah asked.

"Four ribs, bruised kidneys, damage to the spleen." Diana responded with a shake of her head. "He was out on patrol the next night."

"You'd think a billionaire playboy would find a better hobby." Dinah mused. "On our mission, Ollie gassed me so I wouldn't have to fight Wildcat. The dumb bastard almost got himself killed when I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Diana nodded in understanding. "Bruce and I were on a mission in Kasnia two years ago. Somehow we ended up taking on the entire army and air force at once. Bruce thought I was pinned down so he took out an entire brigade by crashing his plane into their position."

"As if you were incapable of handling it!" Dinah snorted. "The nerve of some guys…"

Diana's face darkened as well, recalling her wounded pride after Bruce rescued her from the Kasnian dungeon. Not that she wasn't grateful, but a part of her had always wanted to even the score sometime so that she wasn't always playing the damsel in distress. The image of Bruce kissing her in the Tandori restaurant suddenly flashed through her mind, banishing those thoughts from her mind. A wide smile broke out on her face as she recalled her eagerness to slip into his embrace.

Dinah had a similar moment, recalling her mounting amusement during the past six months as Green Arrow surreptitiously stole glances her way in the commissary and everyplace else in the Watchtower he could find her. He'd always positioned himself just right so that he could pretend to be looking somewhere else, but Dinah knew the way he looked at her that he'd developed a crush on her. She felt a pang of regret, knowing that she'd used his desire to motivate him to help save Wildcat. The pang subsided as she realized that she'd developed her own crush on him. She glanced at Diana, who seemed to be in a daydream of her own.

"Do you realize that instead of sparring on the mat, we've been verbally sparring to determine whose boyfriend is a bigger jerk?"

Diana laughed immediately, then leaned in closer, glancing conspiratorially around the room to see if there were any hidden surveillance systems installed in the walls. "The problem for me is that I just find it so damned attractive." she admitted sheepishly. "They could be hanging out on a yacht with twenty year old supermodels fawning at their feet but instead they're here, trying to protect us. It's kind of sweet, really."

Dinah nodded, appraising the taller woman in a new light. "You know, for a Princess with a reputation of being kind of stuck-up, you seem to have a pretty good perspective on all of this."

"Thank you. I think." Diana grinned, then settled back into her fighting stance. "You ready?" 

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In a small office in the engineering section, the Bat and the Arrow leaned back in their chairs. On the table between them, a flat screen monitor projected the image of the two women sparring in the dojo.

"Is it me, or is the image of the two of them sparring really, really hot?" The Arrow asked with a leer.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The Bat growled. He wiped a sudden flood of sweat off his brow however then leaned in closer for a better look.

"I take it you ARE recording this however." Ollie noted wryly. "I'll take mine in DVD."

THE END

Author's Note: I wrote this as a one-shot but then I realized that there are a few directions it could go. Let me know if you guys like it and if so, I'll try to come up with a fun follow up. 

HB


	2. The Getaway

Thanks for the feedback. Based on the feedback, the concensus was to keep moving on...

Attitudepnay678: Thanks,

TVO: This is not in continuity with any of my other ficcies… I just thought after watching Cat Canary that Diana and Dinah have a lot in common and decided to have some fun.

KK Minamino: Thanks for the kind feedback as always.

Gargoylesama: I was never that into BC and GA but after seeing the eppy, they're a close second to BM/WW in my mind…

Thanks also GoblynQueen, Terry2004 and Black201 for the kind words.

**The Getaway:   
**  
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Three weeks after their initial sparring session in the Watchtower dojo, Dinah Lance met Wonder Woman on the Observation Deck at 9 p.m. They'd made it a habit to meet at least once a week for either a sparring session in the dojo or for a drink on the Observation Deck. They'd originally planned on sparring that evening but Dinah found Supergirl and Star Stripe already using the dojo. She cursed under her breath then contacted Diana on the Comm. Link to suggest a change of plans. Diana agreed without hesitation. The swiftness of her response had surprised Dinah, who'd learned first-hand that the Amazing Amazon had a blood-lust for battle unrivaled by any other member of the League, save for Orion. 

Fifteen minutes later, the Black Canary found Diana sitting in a chair next to one of the three large glass-paned windows which formed the Observation deck vantage points. The Watchtower was orbiting eastwards over the Mediterranean, having just passed the Strait of Gibraltar. Diana was staring at the view, but her gaze was distracted. There was no appreciation of the magnificence of the narrow passage between Europe and Africa, and not even the glowing jewels of the Balearic Islands seemed to command her attention. 

"Turned you down, did he?" Dinah asked with a trace of regret.

"How did you guess?" the Amazon replied. 

"Anybody who can fly over Ibiza without batting an eye must have something on their minds."

Diana perched forward on her seat to gain a better view, then shrugged unimpressed. "I saw it during its heyday a few centuries back." She absently twirled a lock of her raven hair. "Been there, done that."

"So what happened?"

The Amazon's face changed from distraction to anger in a flash. A storm was brewing behind her eyes as she recounted her attempt to win the Dark Knight's favor. "Well, upon your advice last week, this morning I decided to try the direct approach."

Dinah nodded appreciably. Their recent conversations had convinced Black Canary that the Amazon had been too passive in her approach. Diana had recounted the number of times she'd dropped subtle hints his way that she would favorably receive any invitation on his part to advance their relationship. Unfortunately, none of her "hints" had resulted in anything more than harmless flirtations. The flirting was fun, but it did little to release the tension that had grown tight in her belly like a bowstring. She yearned for a release. After Dinah had listened to the Amazon describe their encounters, she'd concluded that Bruce would never consciously make the next move. Either by circumstance or by choice, Dinah reasoned that if Diana wanted to move beyond this frustrating limbo they were in, Diana would have to make the first move.

"You can't afford to be subtle any longer," Dinah had warned, "I got tired of Ollie stalking me around the Watchtower. It was cute for awhile but I got bored with the longing glances so I finally asked him out. Granted, I did it under the pretense of a mission, but it was the only thing I could think of at the time. Do what I did." She encouraged. "Carpe diem! Seize the day. Do something!"

"Like what?" Diana asked suspiciously. "Ask him out for a movie?"

"Movies are fine but unless you plan on sitting in the back row for some privacy, it doesn't leave much leeway for physical contact." Dinah replied mischievously. "Besides, Wildcat mentioned something about his parents and the movies…that might not be your best approach." 

"I'd forgotten the Black Mercy," Diana replied lamely. "How stupid of me..."

The two of them pondered a game-plan then Dinah's face brightened. "What about dinner and dancing? You said he danced with you in Paris."

The Amazon considered the approach then nodded in approval. "Perfect. Dinner would be nice and he certainly knows his way around a dance floor." She pondered some of the 'in' places she'd read about in some of the social columns in Gotham's newspapers, then remembered the place they'd surveilled next to the Gotham Museum of History. "How about Gotham's Iceberg Lounge ?"

"That's perfect." Dinah replied then produced her laptop from her shoulder bag. "We can buy tickets online…"

Dinah finished recounting that conversation in her mind then asked the forlorn Amazon to explain what happened next.

"Nothing happened next." Diana snapped peevishly. "I teleported to the Cave, then snuck up behind him. In my most seductive voice I reminded him that he still owed me a night out dancing and with that, I dropped the two tickets in his lap. HE NEVER EVEN TURNED AROUND! Anyway, he takes about a millisecond glance down at the tickets then asks me in 'THE BATMAN VOICE', "Are these for us?"

Dinah grinned, surprised at how well the Princess could mimic the Dark Knight's voice. The Princess had even set her jaw in a way that reminded Dinah of Batman. 

"Who else would they be for?" Diana recounted asking him, then scowled. "Then he tells me 'I can't go there with you, Princess.' Then he spins around back in his chair and goes back to work."

"So what did you do?" Dinah asked, cringing at the image of her friend's rejection.

"He rejected me! What else could I do?" The Amazon asked rhetorically. "I spun on my heels and transported back her with my tail between my legs." 

"Did he even come after you to explain himself?" Dinah asked incredulously.

"I didn't really wait around to find out," Diana admitted, "But I didn't see him get out of his chair, so that's probably a good indication he's not interested." 

"I just don't understand what's going on behind that cowl." Dinah spat with a sympathetic glare. "He romances you in Paris, kisses you in restaurants, humiliates himself by singing for you but he won't go out with you for an innocent dinner date in Gotham? Where does he get the nerve?"

"I'm so over it I can't even begin to tell you." Diana replied angrily. "I'm done. I gave him two years to make the first move and nothing happens. When I make the move he rejects me."

Dinah nodded at the wisdom of Diana's course of action. She wistfully pondered the inability of some billionaires to appreciate the opportunity they'd been presented (hell, even Ollie had come around to her way of thinking pretty quickly). As she pondered her friend's recent setback, she spied the Ionian Sea below their vantage point. Corfu stood out like the Hope Diamond. An idea dawned in her head. Dinah rose out of the chair across from Diana's, then patted her on the shoulder. "Hang in there, girlfriend. I've got an idea how we can cheer you up."

"What is it?" Diana asked blankly. 

"Are you on call this weekend?"

"I'm on Thursday then I have the Sunday afternoon shift. Why?"

"Plenty of time for what I have in mind," Dinah assured her. "I'll get back to you by the end of your shift tomorrow at the latest." Dinah promised, grinning as she strode towards the elevators leading to the residence levels. 

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"We've been dating for two months and already you want a house?" Oliver Queen asked incredulously.

"Ollie," she pleaded softly next to him in his bed. "It's not for me. It's for Diana."

"Ask Bruce to buy her a house," he snorted. "He's got like 100 times more dough than me."

"I didn't ask you to buy a house. Just let us use it for a weekend. I'm trying to cheer her up."

"What's wrong with the Amazon?" he snorted.

"She asked Batman out this morning," Dinah replied with a look that would have made butter melt. "He turned her down."

"Bats turned down THAT blessed creation?" he asked dubiously. "I know he's a little obsessed with the mission and all but that's just plain stupidity. Is he gay?"

"Maybe the rumors are true." She replied. "Whatever the case, Diana is feeling a little blue so I thought a little girl's getaway weekend might be good for her."

"Anyplace you have in mind?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Corfu." 

"It just so happens that I have a villa in Corfu." He replied with a smirk, "Or did you already know that?"

"I might have come across that little tidbit when I read your file," she replied sweetly, running a hand through the wavy mane of blonde hair matted on his chest. "After all, you weren't the only one doing the stalking."

"I don't know, Dinah," he stated mournfully, staring at the ceiling. "It sets a dangerous precedent for me to start lending my houses out to girls I've just started dating…"

"Are those same girls who've done a naked trapeze act for you?" she replied with a touch of disdain in her voice.

"No, I can't say any of my girlfriends have ever done that," He admitted. "That was special."

"Would you like for me to do that for you again, say… Sunday night when we get back from Corfu?"

He broke out into a hot sweat, envisioning the part where she looped her ankles through the ropes and… "Would you like to borrow my Platinum American Express Card…for incidentals and the like?"

"You are so sweet." Dinah replied, kissing him hard on the mouth. Grinning, she started working her way southwards past his navel, "In fact, I was just thinking about a way to express just how grateful I am…" 

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Diana had been absently working her way through a Jane Austen novel (she was so distracted thinking about Bruce's rejection she hadn't even bothered to look at the cover) when her Comm. Link buzzed. Dinah's voice filled her earpiece a moment later.

"What are you doing?"

"Sitting in the lounge, reading a Jane Austen novel." Diana admitted.

"Gods, its worth than I thought." Dinah muttered. "What time are you off?"

"Three o'clock." Diana responded. "Why?"

"Ever been to Corfu?"

"Centuries ago. It's beautiful. Why do you ask?"

"Because at 3 o'clock we're heading to Corfu for a girl's weekend. No men or rather I should say no men in tights and no billionaires to think about."

"Sounds fantastic." Diana admitted. "Where are we staying?"

"Ollie has a place there. I've seen pictures. It's beautiful." Dinah's voice sang excitedly. "I'm going to head down there now and see what we need in terms of food and wine. Let me give you the coordinates…" 

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Batman had just woken up after lunchtime in Gotham. He'd been on patrol till 5 a.m. then spent the next three hours on his computer, trying to filter through a stack of notes to determine the latest funding sources Star Labs had received. He was convinced a shadow agency had funded the Ultimen but to date had no luck tracking the as yet anonymous sponsors. He was convinced that the adage from Watergate of "Follow the money" would pay off, but the people he was up against to date had proved themselves worthy adversaries.

In the midst of sifting through the evidence, Diana had appeared in the teleportation pad and had invited him to dinner that Saturday night at the Iceberg Lounge. It wasn't that he didn't want to go to dinner or dancing with Diana, but the Iceberg Lounge held some bitter memories of Kathy Duquesne, one of the Batwomen. They'd fallen hard for each other two years prior but her father's history as a gangster had weighed heavily on them both. His nocturnal habits and her bitterness over her father's past had ultimately driven a wedge between them. The breakup was fast and furious.

He contemplated the ceiling for a moment, realizing that in his concentration to follow the conspiracy against the League, the way he'd responded to Diana had sounded like a rejection of her rather than the Iceberg Lounge. Groaning with the realization that he'd have to undue the damage quickly, he jumped into the shower after yelling down to Alfred to whip him up something for lunch. 

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Batman arrived on the Watchtower later than he intended. He'd made the mistake of pulling up his WayneTech e-mail account after lunch then lost himself in the company's affairs for the next two hours. Finally, he'd put on the cape and cowl and transported up to the Watchtower at three o'clock. The operations center seemed relatively quiet, with only a few technicians going about their business. Knowing that Diana was just getting off stand-by duty, he made a few strides towards the lounge. For the fifth time in the last two hours, he worked through the details of his intended response to her request for a date. It wasn't that he was going to respond positively to any invitation, he just wanted her to know that that Iceberg Lounge presented a 'problem' for him as a venue.

'Just buy yourself some more time to figure out how you can deal with Diana.' He reminded himself, then almost gasped when he reached the door.

Diana was talking to Longshadow in the Lounge. Ever since they'd met the Ultimen, Diana had taken more than a passing interest in Longshadow. Bruce had always thought her interest was somewhat innocent but they way she was touching his arm, combined with her overt body language, instantly grabbed his interest. He slunk back into the doorway so they wouldn't see him then surreptitiously peeked his cowl around the corner so that his directional antennae mounted in his ears could pick up their conversation. The ambient sounds of the air conditioning system muffled some of their conversation, but he picked up Diana saying "I am really looking forward to our weekend getaway..."

Batman whipped his head back into the corridor, his face frozen in horror. He assumed that she'd already moved on from him in favor of Longshadow. He was about to poke his cowl around the corner again when Lantern rounded the corner with Vixen at his side. Batman assumed his natural scowl as they passed, exchanging polite 'Hellos' as he uncomfortably tried to assume a position which would justify a reason for standing in the hallway like a village idiot. He waited for them to disappear around the next bulkhead when Longshadow bumped into him at the doorway. The younger man recoiled in fright then, regaining his composure, nodded a brusque 'hello' before moving past the Dark Knight.

Batman considered a means to passively interrogate Wonder Woman as to the destination of their intended 'getaway' then thought better of it. 'She'll see right through that,' he realized. Batman spun on his heels and strode towards the Monitor Womb. 

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"Is your request for this information a League matter or something personal?" J'onn asked, surprised that Bruce would demand to know where Diana and Longshadow had "signed out" to. When they'd expanded the League, J'onn had instituted a new system which required off-duty members to inform him if they were going to be off-planet or if on-planet, then whether they would be available for missions in their area. While the on-call members were required to be in the Watchtower in case they needed to transport to a threat zone immediately, it only made sense for off-duty members to inform him as to their whereabouts. Hidden from view, two minutes earlier Batman witnessed Longshadow and Diana sign out with J'onn, then each one of them individually transported down to Earth. Batman smirked to himself, knowing that any prudent couple trying to get away for a private tryst would have staggered their departures a little further apart.

He approached J'onn seconds after Longshadow dematerialized, asking for their respective transporter coordinates.

"It's BOTH a League matter AND personal." Batman replied with a rougher edge than he'd intended.

"Batman, as you've requested, we posted in our operational notices to new members that the League is not to be viewed as a metahuman dating service." J'onn responded with a wry smile. "I fail to see how your request would be in the spirit with that directive."

"I'm worried about Diana." Batman responded lamely. "I'm still not convinced Longshadow isn't part of that conspiracy."

"If you are so worried about the two of them, why don't you contact them directly?" J'onn replied.

"J'onn, I helped design the transport system." Batman replied peevishly. "It's not like I can't hack into the system and retrieve the records. It will just take longer then if you tell me directly."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." J'onn replied gravely, turning away to hide his smirk. "Besides, Diana specifically requested that I keep her whereabouts hidden from you this weekend, lest you get suspicious."

Batman's eyes narrowed grimly at the revelation Diana was sneaking around him. He spun on his heels towards the engineering section. "Then I'll just do it the old-fashioned way."

J'onn's eyes flared over. He phased then reappeared a moment later in Batman's path. "Batman, please do not override the security systems. It may take the technicians days to repair the damage."

"Try and stop me." Batman warned angrily, then strode around him. J'onn's eyes glowed with mirth as technicians and junior members scattered to get out of his path. 

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At six o'clock on Friday morning, Green Lantern and Green Arrow sleepily settled into the Lounge for their shift as on-call members. It was Arrow's first shift since suffering some injuries at the hands of Wildcat a few weeks before. While his ribs hadn't fully knit together, he was going more insane with inactivity. With a yawn, Booster Gold and Elongated Man debriefed them that "nothing's happening" then the younger members headed back to their residences. Lantern groggily headed to the food/coffee dispenser to request a cup of instant coffee, then recoiled in horror when the dispenser started spouting out a pink fluid which almost looked like it was from a hydraulic line off a Javelin.

John triggered his Comm Link then clicked it off, realizing that the Lounge was only a few feet down the hall from the Monitor Womb. As usual, J'onn was on duty. He appeared to be sleeping in one of his Martian trances, then his eyes glowed, signifying the full return of his faculties.

"I take it the systems are starting to have problems?" J'onn asked gravely.

"How did you guess?" John and Ollie asked simultaneously.

"Batman is tearing apart the security firewalls we'd put in place when we built the Watchtower."

"Why would he do that?" the Arrow asked lamely.

"To find out where Diana went this weekend." J'onn replied dryly. "He's jealous."

"Of Dinah?" Green Arrow asked dubiously. "She's not a lesbian…though I'd image if they were that particular video would sell better than Paris Hilton's. Hell, we could fund a bigger Watchtower with the proceeds."

"Whoa. Easy there!" Lantern looked at his older colleague in shock. "Who's Bruce jealous of?"

"He's jealous of Longshadow," J'onn responded with a small wrinkle in the corner of his mouth. "He thinks they're having a tryst." 

"Now why on Earth would he think that?" Lantern asked with a frown. "Wonder Woman's been flirting with Batman for years."

"Maybe the Immortal Amazon is tired of flirting." Arrow laughed, then looked at J'onn quizzically. "So I take it she informed you that she and Dinah are at my place in Corfu?"

"I have the coordinates here." J'onn replied, pointing to the transporter.

"How much longer are you going to let Batman sweat it out in the engineering sections looking for the coordinates?" Lantern asked gravely.

"Diana told me at least until this afternoon." J'onn replied. "She wants him to earn it. I've had to re-route some of the databases to keep ahead of him. He's very persistent."

Green Arrow and Green Lantern roared with laughter. The lights above them suddenly fluttered off then came back on, slightly dimmer than their original glow. They started laughing again weakly, then stopped, realizing that the Dark Knight was obsessed enough with his current mission to temporarily shut down power on an orbiting space station. It wouldn't seem so funny if he took a system off-line that maintained them in orbit.

Arrow gulped.


	3. Scars

**SCARS**

Batman had just spent his seventeenth hour working non-stop in the engineering section when two sets of footfalls alerted him of the intruder's presence.

Ensconced in a Jefferies Tube that housed most of the wiring for the computer and data systems on the Watchtower, he was methodically re-routing the wires and cables which led from the teleporter control housing three stories above his head to the memory boards two decks below.

He'd originally undertaken the task to locate Diana and Longshadow's transporter coordinates by removing the memory boards and replacing them with new ones. J'onn had been one step ahead of him however, having re-routed the coordinates through a secondary by-pass channel directly into the primary mainframe. Batman had wasted over 11 hours scanning through the memory boards when he finally realized that J'onn had played him for a fool. Realizing what the Martian had done, Batman had next attempted to gain entry into the mainframe space, only to find out that J'onn had changed the access code. Batman debated whether to invoke a trapdoor program he'd built into the system in case of emergency but decided against it, realizing that this didn't constitute the emergency it was designed for. Nodding his head in resignation, he'd spent the last six hours shunting and splicing the alternate by-pass channels so that he could trace the route the data took into the mainframe and then retrieve it with his mini-computer.

He'd almost finished the entire re-wiring project when Lantern's voice boomed through the tube. "Are you about finished?"

"Nearly." Batman replied dryly. "What is it? I'm busy."

"Arrow here tells me he might be able to help you in your little quest."

Batman's ears perked up immediately. He debated whether to immediately rappel down the Jefferies Tube to interrogate Oliver Queen or finish splicing his new data lines when the decision was made for him.

"I know where Diana is." Arrow's voice taunted him through the Tube.

A second later Batman appeared at the opening on the Engineering Deck.

"Where is she, Queen?" he demanded immediately.

"Nice to see you too, Bats!" the Arrow responded derisively. "Hot-wiring the Watchtower?"

"There are two ways to accomplish this." Batman glared, then leaned into him. "The first is the easy way where you tell me the coordinates before I ask twice. The second way is the hard way where I start feeding arrows down your throat piece by piece…"

Green Arrow grinned in delight at the Dark Knight's obvious discomfort then paled when he realized the cowled figure was serious about the threat. "Corfu," he gulped. "They're on Corfu."

"Why would Diana take Longshadow to Corfu?" Batman thundered.

"Longshadow went to New Mexico to work with a tribe of underprivileged Apache children," Lantern interrupted, stepping between the billionaires. "Diana went to Corfu with Dinah."

"But I heard her telling Longshadow in the Lounge that she was looking forward to their weekend." Batman protested.

"I don't know what you heard in there but on Wednesday night, Dinah asked me if the girls could use my place for a quick getaway weekend." Green Arrow responded with a smirk. "Seems Diana was kinda pissed at you for turning her down so they decided to go have some fun instead."

Batman's eyes squinted behind the cowl. He continued to eyeball the two emerald warriors, searching for clues if this was another elaborate hoax to throw him off the trail. After seventeen hours sweating in a Jefferies Tube, he'd grown even more paranoid (if that was possible).

"Why did J'onn hide the data?" he growled.

"Because Diana knew you'd check up on her anyway and she probably wanted to make you suffer." Lantern interjected. "J'onn was just doing what she asked. Don't blame him."

Batman scowled at the two men but didn't reply. He let out a deep breath, disgusted with his behavior and the fact that Diana had read him like an open book, then threw up his hands in resignation. "Corfu?"

"We can beam down and drop in on the girls if you'd like." Green Arrow replied then held up a key-chain in triumph. "I have an extra key to the villa."

"Good idea." Batman nodded approvingly. They were just about to make strides for the corridor leading to the transporter when a screech emitted from the Jefferies Tube. Batman winced, then hurried back to the Tube entrance. "Give me a minute. There's a few loose wires I need to patch before I step into that thing. I don't want to end up materializing in a mountain."

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Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen materialized in a lightly visited forest overlooking the town of Dassia, a town on the eastern edge of Corfu's coast. Both men were attired in the light cotton pants and shirts favored by both tourists and locals. The loose fitting cotton provided a reprieve from the heat of the day, though Bruce wore longsleeves. The sun had passed its zenith an hour before and had started dipping to the horizon. There were a few high clouds hanging out to the west but by all appearances there were a few more hours of daylight left before sunset.

Oliver took notice of the hills around them then started marching south. "This way," he announced confidently. "The villa sits up on a hillside just south of the town."

It took them a few minutes to negotiate their way through the forest. There were a few game trails but nothing that indicated humans regularly walked through the area. They finally came upon a small shepherd's trail that wound along the hillside until it reached a semi-paved roadway. The two men were already starting to generate a decent sweat from their hike when the last remnants of the forest died away, leaving them exposed to the sun. There was precious little shade and the breeze offered little respite from the heat, instead blowing hot, muggy air their way.

Twenty minutes later they saw the first signs of civilization as a mini-bus loaded with drunken German tourists careened around a bend, narrowly missing them. Oliver shouted at the driver, who replied with his middle finger raised in the rear view mirror. Bruce impatiently waited for him to resume their hike. Oliver finally set off again in a huff. Immediately bored, he tried to make small talk, pointing out various landmarks along the way. Bruce paid him no heed and even quickened his pace to get away from his companion. Oliver finally gave up in frustration, muttering to himself about "being a goddamned escort service for the blind and the stupid" when they rounded another bend. Four villas stood out on the hillside. Three were reachable by small driveways from the road. The fourth, (at least twice the size of the other two) required hiking up a series of switchbacks. Oliver pointed to it with obvious pride however Bruce didn't stop to appreciate the view, opting to start the long walk up the hill.

Oliver shook his head then trudged after the larger man, cursing with increasing volume as the pitch of the climb increased. "Great idea, Ollie. 'Hey Bruce, let's drop in on the girls'… what the hell was I thinking?"

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Oliver Queen was starting to sweat more than he'd ever thought possible. In reality, there'd been plenty of times in the past where he was hotter and sweatier, but during those times he hadn't been so damned bored. They'd finally reached the villa after an uncomfortable climb but instead of knocking on the door, Bruce insisted they reconnoiter the villa. Oliver glared at him but knew by the set of the man's jaw, Bruce wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Instead, they'd silently climbed further up the hill, angling further south to get a better view of the villa. Bruce picked out a spot that offered some cover from the villa's residents then squatted down on his haunches. He produced a pair of binoculars from a small backpack he was carrying then motioned Oliver to get out from view. Oliver reluctantly agreed then plopped down on a rock next to Bruce.

"Aren't you hot?" he asked the dark haired man.

"It's warm," Came the clipped response.

"Why didn't you wear a short-sleeve shirt?"

"Scars." Bruce replied. "It's best to cover them up. That and well, skin cancer."

"I didn't think Batman ever saw the light of day," Oliver chuckled, then nodded in appreciation. A thought flashed through his mind that besides the obvious physical scars, his companion had a whole series of scars to work through before he gave up wearing the cape and cowl.

Their vantage point fifty yards from the villa offered a commanding view of the town below but the walls around the courtyard were high enough to block their sightlines. They couldn't see any part of the villa, save the front patio, which was devoid of activity. After twenty minutes in the hot sun Oliver started grumbling about "cold beer being a two minute walk away" but as before, his traveling companion offered no relief. Oliver started deriving clever means of escape from his current predicament when a limousine roared around the bend below, chugging uphill.

They watched with interest as the big car worked its way up the hill, then perked up when it stopped at the villa's entrance. The driver laid on the horn for a few seconds then the large gate swung open. Diana and Dinah Lance emerged a second later. Both of them were wearing white Grecian sundresses and high heels as well as wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses to provide a measure of anonymity from curious townspeople and tourists. The women jumped into the back of the limo, which immediately wound back down the hillside towards the town below. Bruce waited for the car to disappear behind a bend then produced a miniature bat-tracer from a compartment in his backpack. He reared back and threw it at the limo below them then nodded in satisfaction when it securely landed on the roof.

Oliver looked at him in admiration then nodded hopefully towards the villa. "Now can we get a beer?"

"Sure."

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Oliver produced a key from his pocket to open the door to the courtyard then ushered the other man in ahead of them.

"Staff?" Bruce asked as they made their way through the courtyard towards the residence.

"Maids in the morning then a cook drops by around six or so to make dinner if anyone's here." Oliver replied. "Should be empty right about now."

Bruce stealthily walked around the villa, searching for signs of activity, but found none. There were two large bedrooms on either side of the great room formed by the kitchen, dining room and living area. He strode into the right-hand bedroom. By the trace of her scent, he knew Diana had slept in that room. He allowed himself a moment of luxury to inhale a second time, realizing that she was wearing the same intoxicating perfume she'd been wearing two years before in Paris.

Oliver knocked on the door behind him. "As promised, nobody's here. Do you want to wait for them to come back or should we go after them?"

Bruce's eyes narrowed again. "I didn't come all this way to wait for them." He replied with a smirk.

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Oliver gunned the 500 cc BMW motorcycle through an intersection in town, then made a hard left at his passenger's command. Bruce was riding behind him with one arm holding onto a bracket and the other holding a tracking screen cleverly disguised as a cell-phone.

They sped down an alley then slowed as Oliver spied the limousine parked in a valet area next to a private beach club favored by wealthy part-time residents including himself. Oliver parked the motorcycle with the valet then the two of them hopped off. Oliver strode past the concierge with a familiar wave then turned into a corridor heading to the beach.

"They're either at the bar or down at the private beach." He informed Bruce. "Let's check it out."

There was no sign of either woman at the bar. They made their way to the railing overlooking the beach and immediately spied the two beauties sunbathing in beach chairs below. Both women wore bikinis that revealed their stunning hourglass figures. The women faced the water, apparently oblivious to the attention they commanded from every red-blooded male on the beach, as well as to the two billionaires who'd quietly taken up an observation post at the bar above them.

"What's your poison?" Oliver asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"I don't drink." Bruce replied.

"Ah, the famous control rearing its ugly head as usual." Oliver mocked. He raised his hand to the bartender. "Two gin and tonics with limes, please."

"I told you I don't drink." Bruce growled then longingly returned his gaze to the beach.

Oliver motioned in Diana's direction below them. "Bruce, for the past two years you've denied yourself the opportunity to wake up next to THAT! My conclusion from that is that sobriety has ill-served you. Let me offer a piece of advice: Start drinking heavily…now!"

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It was almost six o'clock Corfu time when the two hero billionaires finished their second round of drinks. Oliver raised his hand to signal for another round when they noticed a group of men approach the women. While Dinah had slipped on a mini-skirt as the sun started dropping lower in the sky, Diana was still wearing nothing but the tiny red bikini which revealed every stunning curve of her figure. On a table between them, the beach waiter was taking away the remnants of some fruity-looking drinks that were either pina coladas or margaritas. The five locals clustered around the two beach chairs and immediately started to flirt with the women. By the look of their olive complexions and dark hair, they were full time residents of the island.

Diana and Dinah seemed to delight in the attention. Within a minute, Diana swung her legs out of her beach chair, leaning teasingly close to the leader of the pack, a larger man at least two inches taller than Bruce's 6 foot, three-inch frame. Using halting English, the man was using his hands expressively to point out local attractions along the beach. Bruce could tell the group was astonished when Diana started speaking to them in their native tongue. With her knowledge of Greek, Diana quickly bridged the cultural divide between them, translating the men's commentary to Dinah in a running aside. By now, both women were out of their chairs, facing away from the ocean for the first time since they'd starting stalking them. Bruce and Oliver leaned back from the bar railing so they couldn't be seen. Every few seconds one of them would peek their heads up to see what was happening. A few minutes later Oliver signaled trouble.

"They're on the move." He reported.

Bruce's eyes flashed with anger, his eyes somewhat clouded by the gin pumping through his system. "Let's roll."

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The stroll down the boardwalk towards the town didn't take long. A hundred meters south of Oliver's private beach club, the group stopped at an outdoor bar that featured a band, complete with a small dance area in the sand occupied by a group of sunburned tourists who'd been drinking since breakfast. A three-piece band was working through a tormented set of Jimmy Buffet songs but nobody seemed to complain the lead singer was butchering the lyrics into some indecipherable European hodgepodge of language.

The group of locals crammed Diana and Dinah between them near a table close to the dance floor then shouted for a round of drinks. When they'd left the beach, the women had pulled on their sundresses but it was hard not to notice the buttons were undone on the front of the dresses. Each woman revealed a generous amount of cleavage for the onlookers to admire. Spying their quarry by the dance floor, Bruce and Oliver slunk into a corner booth which offered a prime vantage point. Oliver got a waitress' attention, who returned a minute later with two bottles of local beer. She set them hard on the table, sloshing the beer onto their clothes. She waved a quick apology then disappeared into the crowd. Bruce waited for the foam to dissipate, staring at Diana from afar. Morosely, he finally took a pull on his beer. She seemed to be having a great time with the locals while Dinah chattered away at the locals, laughing at every turn.

The two men's eyes bugged out a minute later when Dinah and Diana accepted an invitation onto the dance floor. All five men surrounded the two beauties. Dinah was so petite Oliver could barely see her through the cluster of men. His face went red when he realized that one of the men had just groped her butt. She gently removed the hand then winked at the man, foregoing any retribution for the offense. A few feet away, Diana was actively "dirty-dancing" with the largest man in the group, straddling his knee with her legs whenever she danced close to him. Each time she leaned into him, Diana gave the poor man a look sultry enough to boil water.

As he watched her, Bruce tightened his grip on his beer. After Diana brought her leg up alongside her dancing partner's waist, Bruce squeezed it so tightly that it finally shattered. The crowd around them turned to stare as Oliver examined a small cut on Bruce's hand. Oliver applied some pressure with a napkin then consoled his tormented companion. "Don't feel bad, Bruce," he muttered, then looked at Dinah again with disdain. "We both got taken for a ride today."

Bruce quietly seethed as the waitress cleared off the broken glassed. He pounded down the replacement she'd brought in one pull then stood away from the table. "Let's go."

They'd almost made their way out the front entrance when Bruce felt a tap on his shoulder. "Checking up on me again?" a hauntingly feminine voice teased him.

Diana stood in front of them while Dinah was trailing right behind her. Both of them acted surprised that Bruce and Oliver were there but neither seemed to express much guilt that they'd been caught brazenly flirting with the local men.

"We were just leaving," Bruce barked at her, then looked at Oliver. "It was a mistake to come here. Let's go."

Diana instantly blocked their path. "I think if you came all this way, the least you could is dance with me."

Bruce looked at her intently, trying to read her expression. On one hand she was defiant, standing with her hands on her hips. On the other hand, he could see a small expression of regret in the corner of her mouth.

Bruce debated as to how much longer she wanted to play the game, then decided to call her bluff. "Fine, one dance before we go."

He grabbed her hand then roughly pulled her back towards the dance floor. By their aggressive posture, the five locals immediately showed their hostility. They strode in a huff off to the side of the dance floor but never sat down, instead glaring at the two men. Bruce quickly appraised the group of them then deciding they weren't a threat, pulled Diana close to him, sliding his hand down her back until it rested on top of her butt. The gesture immediately inflamed the locals but Bruce kept pressing his hand downward until he was cupping her butt in his hand.

"Is that what you had in mind?" he growled into her ear.

Her reaction was a dichotomy. She pushed away from him with her arms to get a better look into his eyes while at the same time grinding her pelvis against his, searching for his reaction. "It will do for a start." She whispered defiantly, daring him with her eyes to go even further.

Bruce glanced at Oliver and Dinah, who seemed to be having a similar tete-a-tete of their own. He weighed the outcomes of the alternatives in front of him then, fueled by the foreign alcohol in his bloodstream, decided to take the plunge. He roughly pinned her hands to her sides then leaned into her, grazing her neck, jaw and ear with his mouth before plunging his mouth onto hers. She instantly returned his passion with her own, fiercely attacking his mouth, nipping at him with her tongue and teeth. As strong as she was, he was surprised she didn't resist, then realized that she was a willing participant in this public spectacle.

For the first time since he'd donned the cape and cowl, Bruce lost control, losing himself in her embrace. Later, he realized that he'd ignored the warning signs that the locals were growing angrier by the minute, but at the time he just didn't give a damn.

Preoccupied exploring Diana's mouth with his tongue, Bruce didn't have time to react when the leader of the group sucker punched the back of his head. The force of the impact caused her to bite his tongue, bringing the taste of blood into his mouth and hers. Bruce staggered into her then angrily spun to face his attacker.

Oliver released Dinah from their own embrace and strode over to assist, but two of the locals jumped him before he could help. The men fell to the ground in a tangled heap. Dinah and Diana looked at each other in horror, each trying to determine the easiest way to extricate themselves from this mess, but before either could act the trained instincts of the Bat took over. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he circled to the left, feinted a left hook at his opponent then threw an overhand right so quickly that it caught the bigger man flush on the jaw. The man went down in a crumpled heap, unconscious from the blow. Bruce turned to face the two men not yet in the fight. Their faces paled. Trading glances, they backed away, holding their hands up to show they meant no harm.

Nodding at the wisdom of their decision, Bruce turned to help Oliver. The blonde haired man had managed to get back onto his feet but was having a difficult time gaining the upper hand, pinned down by the two men. Bruce brought an elbow down onto the nearest man's right clavicle, breaking it cleanly with a sickening crunch. The man screamed in pain and dropped to the ground. Oliver delivered a right uppercut into the solar plexus of his last opponent. The blow sent a shock through the man's nervous system and he crumpled onto the dance floor next to his companion. Bruce and Oliver looked at each other with a mutual shrug then grabbed Diana and Dinah's hands, leading them out the back door before the authorities could arrive.

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The limousine was winding its way back up to the villa. Seated across from each other, the men and women stared at each other in angry silence.

Dinah finally broke the tension, glaring at Bruce.

"You didn't have to hurt them."

Bruce looked at her coldly then settled his gaze on Diana. "Didn't I?"

"You're the one human being on the planet that I'd give better than even odds in a cage match with Wildcat," Dinah replied. "It wasn't necessary."

"Hey, its not like Bruce took the first swing at the guy," Oliver protested, then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Besides, you gals seemed to being doing a great job at getting their hopes up before we arrived."

"We wanted to make you jealous," Dinah replied angrily, "Not start a bar brawl."

Bruce's face piqued with interest. He looked at Diana, his face a mixture of contrition and jealousy. "You knew we were there?"

"J'onn told us when you transported down." Diana replied smugly. "But even if he didn't, it would have been pretty easy to guess you would have shown up here at some point."

"Am I that easy to read?" he asked in a whisper.

"Only when you're not in control." Diana fired back. "The only time you express yourself is when you're either jealous or angry. I'm sorry it took that whole charade to get you to dance with me, but to be honest, it was kind of refreshing to see you that you care."

Bruce nodded in understanding, then Diana turned to Oliver in the back of the limo. "Oliver, please don't blame Dinah for playing her part in this whole thing. I needed some backup to make sure I could carry it off."

Dinah reached out and grabbed Oliver's hand soothingly. "I was just playing the role of the 'Wingman', honest."

The limousine pulled up in front of the villa a moment later. The four of them got out and strode through the courtyard. Bruce's paranoia got the better of him one last time before they reached the living quarters. "I don't see how J'onn knew we left the Watchtower. We transported from the back of a Javelin in the hangar. I think you're still playing us."

Diana's eyes narrowed in frustration. She opened the door to the dining room. Marko, Oliver's personal chef, was preparing paella in the kitchen. Diana pointed to the table. "If you'll notice, there are four place settings. We knew you were coming, whether you want to admit it or not."

Bruce took a quick measure of her words and tone and realized he'd pushed her too far. A quick apology wasn't in his nature, but he could tell by the set of her jaw that some gesture on his part might preserve him from her wrath.

"You're right." He whispered, turning to face her. "I screwed up."

"I guess there is a first time for everything." She replied sweetly, then sniffed the air. Wrinkling her nose in distaste, she observed, "You two smell like a brewery."

Dinah agreed, then called out, "Marko, how much longer before dinner is ready?"

"Maybe fifteen minutes, Miss Dinah." The chef called back, bemused at the scene of two billionaires trying to extricate themselves from a difficult situation.

"Take your time." Dinah nodded back, then guided Oliver to his bedroom. "Why don't you two take a shower and get cleaned up before dinner?" Then she leaned in and winked, "If you're lucky, maybe I'll help wash your back."

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Bruce stood under the showerhead, rinsing the shampoo out of his hair. His mind was racing at full speed, reviewing the events of the last two days. He shook his head in disgust at his behavior then his body shuddered when Diana's voice teasingly floated into the bathroom. "Do you need somebody to wash your back?"

The question startled him. He didn't immediately answer, then cracked the door open to see if he could locate her. Diana stood before him, wrapped in a bathrobe that stopped mid-thigh. Her expression was warm and inviting, but he could tell that she wouldn't go any farther without some expression of interest on his part. He paused, realizing as he looked at her that she wasn't wearing anything under the robe. He weighed his alternatives again then managed to crack a smile as he opened the door for her to join him.

"It would be shame to waste all of the hot water," He grinned. "I've heard that there's been a drought on Corfu for the past few months."

Diana shrugged out of the bathrobe, then joined him in the shower.

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Marko sat forlornly at the kitchen. His paella had gone cold for more than an hour. Even worse, he was hearing certain sounds of carnal delight from both bedrooms that led him to believe that his efforts were going to be wasted that evening.

He left a note on the oven that the paella could be re-heated, then strode out the door.

"I guess billionaires can afford to waste a good meal," he muttered, then jealously looked at the bedroom doors. "They seem to get everything else they want."

THE END 


End file.
